Over 100 protest property valuations

It was round three in the reassessment battle last night as more than 100 citizens turned out at the Board of Supervisors meeting for the third month in a row to protest property valuations.
Citizens have packed the supervisors’ meeting room three months in a row to express dissatisfaction with the most recent reassessment results.
The county has advertised reducing the real estate rate from 62 cents per hundred dollars of value to 50 cents or less. The final rate will be set in March.
Although county officials advised those attending last night’s meeting that they do not have legal authority to adjust the assessments, citizens still called for the board to do something to correct what they perceive to be inaccurate and overblown assessments.
Residents who spoke before the board asked the supervisors to toss out the assessment and hire another company to redo it for next year. State law requires a new reassessment every six years. It’s been five years since the last one was conducted.
However, County Administrator Peter Huber said that is not feasible because it takes more than a year to do a reassessment. He said the county would not be able to have another one completed in time to meet the six-year requirement.
Last night, former supervisor Dr. Bruce Farris showed up with a petition he said was signed by 2,360 “dissatisfied citizens of Pulaski County.” He said the petitioners feel their properties are assessed too high and that the assessment was not properly conducted.
Farris said most residents felt it would be a waste of their time to appeal the assessments to the company that conducted the reassessment.
Huber and the supervisors advised citizens the assessments have not been finalized and encouraged them to make appointments to appear before the Board of Equalization to appeal the values put on their properties. He said residents can call 994-2416 or send an e-mail to boe@pulaskicounty.org to set up an appointment.
The county administrator added that the supervisors have no interest in making the assessments too high or too low. He said it is the BOE’s duty to make the assessments as accurate as possible.
The supervisors heard reassessment comments for more than an hour last night.
At the end of the meeting, the supervisors instructed Huber to draft a letter to area legislators requesting alterations in the real estate tax codes and to give localities more taxing authority outside real estate taxes to reduce the burden on property owners.

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Over 100 protest property valuations

It was round three in the reassessment battle last night as more than 100 citizens turned out at the Board of Supervisors meeting for the third month in a row to protest property valuations.
Citizens have packed the supervisors’ meeting room three months in a row to express dissatisfaction with the most recent reassessment results.
The county has advertised reducing the real estate rate from 62 cents per hundred dollars of value to 50 cents or less. The final rate will be set in March.
Although county officials advised those attending last night’s meeting that they do not have legal authority to adjust the assessments, citizens still called for the board to do something to correct what they perceive to be inaccurate and overblown assessments.
Residents who spoke before the board asked the supervisors to toss out the assessment and hire another company to redo it for next year. State law requires a new reassessment every six years. It’s been five years since the last one was conducted.
However, County Administrator Peter Huber said that is not feasible because it takes more than a year to do a reassessment. He said the county would not be able to have another one completed in time to meet the six-year requirement.
Last night, former supervisor Dr. Bruce Farris showed up with a petition he said was signed by 2,360 “dissatisfied citizens of Pulaski County.” He said the petitioners feel their properties are assessed too high and that the assessment was not properly conducted.
Farris said most residents felt it would be a waste of their time to appeal the assessments to the company that conducted the reassessment.
Huber and the supervisors advised citizens the assessments have not been finalized and encouraged them to make appointments to appear before the Board of Equalization to appeal the values put on their properties. He said residents can call 994-2416 or send an e-mail to boe@pulaskicounty.org to set up an appointment.
The county administrator added that the supervisors have no interest in making the assessments too high or too low. He said it is the BOE’s duty to make the assessments as accurate as possible.
The supervisors heard reassessment comments for more than an hour last night.
At the end of the meeting, the supervisors instructed Huber to draft a letter to area legislators requesting alterations in the real estate tax codes and to give localities more taxing authority outside real estate taxes to reduce the burden on property owners.